Yesterday, instead of having a relaxing Sunday with my family, I spent hours putting together a machine. What machine? The machine that I hope can have a positive effect on my physical health, stamina, and mental well-being. A machine that I hope can help me be the person I've wanted to be for quite some time--the person that is alive in 10 years. I'm not much for going to the gym anymore, but I hope I can be the kind of man that can walk into his own den, shut the door, and get some physical exercise.
We bought a Bowflex! And spent hours putting the thing together. Since when do assembly instructions include next to no words? Pictures and arrows. Should have just youtubed a how-to, but since we didn't, we used assemble by number and it took us forever. The key is, we got it done. And now our den has a bowflex and I must force myself to use it regularly.
Write Club session one is in the books. It was intense. But, just like my workout goals, thinking about Write Club as a way to write 8 stories in 16 weeks, read 56 stories in 16 weeks, and crit 23 stories in 16 weeks is not going to help me get to the finish line. I'm in a writing phase at the moment - I need to write a story. That's it. I can't worry about anything else. Keeping my goals small and manageable is the only way I can see accomplishing anything.
Yeah - lose 40 pounds is a huge ask. But, lose 3/4 of a pound a week (for a year) isn't. Yeah - 'get in shape' is a huge ask. But, workout 30 minutes 3 times a week isn't. Yeah - Write 8 quality short stories in 16 weeks is a huge ask. But, write a 1500-7000 word short story in 9 days isn't. Yeah - Big Goals are huge and don't really make sense when it comes to life changes. I can say "I want to eat healthy foods" but that doesn't really mean anything. If I say "I want to cut added sugars out of my diet, it becomes a bit more managable. Little goals, taken one step at a time are the best way to get the results I desire. I know, because I've made some big changes in my life - and it wasn't by anything other than undertaking and accomplishing a ton of small steps. So I'll be keeping it simple. My goal for yesterday was to put together the Bowflex. Goal Accomplished. My goal for today is use the Bowflex. I'll find out when I get home tonight if I've put this one in the 'accomplished' column. My goal for tomorrow is write 750 words towards a short story. And that's about as far as I'm willing to think ahead.
All thanks goes to the wonderful members of The Writer's Block who are helping me become a better writer. I've written more since I discovered this group than pretty much any other time in my life. But beyond that - my writing has improved, and it's all thanks to the amazing workshops over there. Please check it out if you have a moment and you want to become a better writer.
Make sure you stop by VOTU if you want a community experience. With over seven hundred members it's easily the largest family I've ever been a part of. I'll see you there.
